However, having the deal done did make Lubo a more valuable asset on the trade market because the contract and Lubo were a known commodity. You seem to be the one that wants it both ways in wanting to tie the GMs hands when it isn't necessary. Lubo had a hand in what happened regarding the trade. Had he played lights out the season before he would not have had a problem.

This is a great point that I forgot to mention in my post. I was actually talking about this last night to a friend. I mentioned Brian Rolston and I was basically saying that players are responsible for their contracts in the salary cap system ALONG w/ the GM. If Brian Rolston was a UFA this summer, a team might take a chance on him for $1m or something. Instead, he has a bloated contract with diminished skills and now nobody wants him. So he'll get his coin but he might do it at the expense of riding a bus in the minors for the duration of it (now this is just an example because I know they put him on waivers earlier - I don't know where he is now). Same with Kovalchuk. He wanted his $100m, he got it and now he is in New Jersey for better or for worse for probably the next 10 years unless some team wants to bail out NJ which is probably unlikely. So Kovalchuk got his $100m but with that $100m he has relinquished any flexibility in who he plays for by virtue of his contract that HE wanted.